Off-host authentication system

ABSTRACT

An off-host authentication system includes an authentication information handling system (IHS) that is coupled to a network. The off-host authentication system also includes a host processing system. An off-host processing system in the off-host authentication system is coupled to the host processing system and is coupled to the authentication IHS through the network. The off-host processing system provides an encrypted primary authentication item to the authentication IHS through the network. The off-host processing system then receives an encrypted secondary authentication token from the authentication IHS through the network. The off-host processing system then decrypts the encrypted secondary authentication token to produce a decrypted secondary authentication token and uses the decrypted secondary authentication token to retrieve a tertiary authentication token. The off-host processing system then provides the tertiary authentication token to the host processing system for use in logging a user into a user IHS that includes the host processing system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation application to U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/268,863, filed May 2, 2014, entitled “OFF-HOST AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to an off-host authentication system for an information handling system.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

Some IHSs are secured by providing authentication systems on those IHSs that operate to authenticate users such that those users may use the IHS. Typically, a user will be required to provide some form of authentication credentials to the IHS, which may include a passcode, pass phrase, personal identification number, challenge response, fingerprint, retinal scan, face identification, voice identification, physical identification card, and/or a variety of other authentication credentials known in the art. In conventional IHSs, the authentication credentials are verified by a host processor in the IHS to determine whether the user is authorized to access the IHS and, if so, the user is logged into the IHS and allowed to access at least some functionality of the IHS. The authentication of a user by a host processor in the IHS raises a number of issues, as unauthorized persons may gain access to the host processor and manipulate the authentication process such that they gain access to the IHS.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved authentication system.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, an off-host authentication system includes an authentication information handling system (IHS) that is coupled to a network; a host processing system; and an off-host processing system that is coupled to the host processing system and that is coupled to the authentication IHS through the network, wherein the off-host processing system is configured to: provide an encrypted primary authentication item to the authentication IHS through the network; receive an encrypted secondary authentication token from the authentication IHS through the network; decrypt the encrypted secondary authentication token to produce a decrypted secondary authentication token and use the decrypted secondary authentication token to retrieve a tertiary authentication token; and provide the tertiary authentication token to the host processing system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of an information handling system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of an off-host authentication system.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for off-host authentication.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the communication in the off-host authentication system of FIG. 2 during the method of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, a PDA, a consumer electronic device, a display device or monitor, a network server or storage device, a switch router or other network communication device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include memory, one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic. Additional components of the IHS may include one or more storage devices, one or more communications ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.

In one embodiment, IHS 100, FIG. 1, includes a processor 102, which is connected to a bus 104. Bus 104 serves as a connection between processor 102 and other components of IHS 100. An input device 106 is coupled to processor 102 to provide input to processor 102. Examples of input devices may include keyboards, touchscreens, pointing devices such as mouses, trackballs, and trackpads, and/or a variety of other input devices known in the art. Programs and data are stored on a mass storage device 108, which is coupled to processor 102. Examples of mass storage devices may include hard discs, optical disks, magneto-optical discs, solid-state storage devices, and/or a variety other mass storage devices known in the art. IHS 100 further includes a display 110, which is coupled to processor 102 by a video controller 112. A system memory 114 is coupled to processor 102 to provide the processor with fast storage to facilitate execution of computer programs by processor 102. Examples of system memory may include random access memory (RAM) devices such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), solid state memory devices, and/or a variety of other memory devices known in the art. In an embodiment, a chassis 116 houses some or all of the components of IHS 100. It should be understood that other buses and intermediate circuits can be deployed between the components described above and processor 102 to facilitate interconnection between the components and the processor 102.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of an off-host authentication system 200 is illustrated. The off-host authentication system 200 includes a user IHS 202 which may be the IHS 100 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 and/or include some or all of the components of the IHS 100. For example, the user IHS may be a server IHS, a desktop IHS, a laptop/notebook IHS, a tablet IHS, a mobile phone IHS, and/or a variety of other IHS's known in the art. The user IHS 202 includes a host processing system 204 that includes a host processor 204 a, a host memory 204 b, and/or a variety of other host processing components known in the art. For example, the host processor 204 a in the host processing system 204 may include the processor 102 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1, and the host memory 204 b in the host processing system 204 may include the system memory 114 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the host processing system 204 in the off-host authentication system 200 may be a variety of processing systems utilized by a user IHS 202 to perform processing functions related to, for example, running an operating system, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

The user IHS 202 also includes an off-host processing system 206 that includes an off-host processor 206 a, an off-host memory 206 b, and/or a variety of other off-host processing components known in the art. For example, the off-host processor 206 a in the off-host processing system 206 may include a secure processor that is segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the processor 102 in the IHS 100 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1, and the off-host memory 206 b in the off-host processing system 206 may include a memory device that is segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the system memory 114 in the IHS 100 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 such that the off-host memory 206 b is accessible by the off-host processor 206 a but not the host processor 204 a. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the off-host processing system 206 in the off-host authentication system 200 may be a variety of off-host processing systems that may be utilized by a user IHS 202 to perform secure processing functions while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the off-host processor 206 a is coupled to the host processor 204 a via a bus 208 such as, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection. However, the bus 208 may be any variety of physical/logical bus connections that support encrypted communications, including but not limited to, the USB connection discussed above, a Thunderbolt interface, an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), a Peripheral Component Interface (PCI), and/or other bus connections known in the art that may communicate using, for example, Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL protocol), the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol, and/or other communication protocols known in the art. In one example, the off-host processing system 206 may be provided, at least in part, using a ControlVault® system available from Dell, Inc. of Round Rock, Tex.

In an embodiment, the user IHS 202 is associated with at least one user IHS private key and at least one user IHS public key, discussed in further detail below. The at least one user IHS private key and the at least one user IHS public key may be stored in storage device that is accessible by the off-host processing system 206. For example, the at least one user IHS private key and the at least one user IHS public key may be stored on the off-host memory 206 b, on the host memory 204 b, and/or in a variety of other user IHS storage locations known in the art. Furthermore, as discussed below, the at least one user IHS public key may be shared with other systems such as, for example, the authentication IHS 220, discussed below.

The user IHS 202 also includes an authentication device 209 that may include, for example, an input device such as a keyboard, a fingerprint reader device or other biometric data reader device, a smart card reader device, an radio frequency identification (RFID) or Near Field Communication (NFC) device that is configured to wirelessly connect to a mobile user device (e.g., a mobile phone), and/or a variety of other authentication devices known in the art. The authentication device 209 may be coupled to the off-host processor 206 in the off-host processing system 206 via a USB or Smart Card Interface (SCI) bus 209 a. However, the bus 209 a may be any variety of physical/logical bus connections including but not limited to, the USB or SCI connection discussed above, a Thunderbolt interface, an I2C, an SPI, a PCI, and/or other bus connections known in the art.

The user IHS 202 also includes an embedded controller system 210 that includes an embedded controller processor 210 a, an embedded controller memory 210 b, and/or a variety of other embedded controller components known in the art. For example, the embedded controller processor 210 a in the embedded controller system 210 may include a processor, and the embedded controller memory 210 b in the embedded controller system 210 may include a memory device that includes instructions that, when executed by the embedded controller processor 210 a, cause the embedded controller processor 210 a to perform the functions of the embedded controller system 210 discussed below. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the embedded controller system 210 in the off-host authentication system 200 may be a variety of embedded controller systems that may be utilized by a user IHS 202 to perform embedded controller functions while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the embedded controller processor 210 a is coupled to the off-host processor 206 a via a bus 212 such as, for example, a LPC connection. However, the bus 212 may be any variety of physical/logical bus connections that support encrypted communications, including but not limited to, the LPC connection discussed above, a USB a Thunderbolt interface, an I2C, an SRI, a PCI, and/or other bus connections known in the art.

The user IHS 202 also includes a network interface controller 214 that provides a first network controller 214 a, a second network controller 214 b, and/or that includes a variety of other network interface controller components known in the art. In some embodiments, the network interface controller 214 is compliant with Intel® Active Management Technology (AMT) and/or vPro technology. In an embodiment, the first network controller 214 a in the network interface controller 214 may be segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the second network controller 214 b by assigning the first network controller 214 a a first Media Access Control (MAC) address that is different from a second MAC address that is assigned to the second network controller 214 b. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the first network controller 214 a and the second network controller 214 b may be segregated from each other in a variety of manners (e.g., by providing the first network controller 214 a on a different network interface controller than second network controller 214 b, etc.) while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the illustrated embodiment, the host processor 204 a in the host processing system 204 is coupled to the first network controller 214 a in the network interface controller 214 via a bus 216 a, and the embedded controller processor 210 a in the embedded controller system 210 is coupled to the second network controller 214 b in the network interface controller 214 via a bus 216 b. In some embodiments, the buses 216 a and 216 b may be separate buses, or may be part of the same bus such as, for example, USB or PCI buses that connect the host processing system 204 and the embedded controller system 210 to the network interface controller 214. However, the buses 216 a and 216 b may be any variety of physical/logical bus connections that support encrypted communications, including but not limited to, the USB or PCI bus discussed above, a Thunderbolt interface, an SPI, and/or other bus connections known in the art. The host processor 204 a may be configured to only have access to the first network controller 214 a by providing the host processor 204 a a first MAC address that is assigned to the first network controller 214 a, while the embedded controller processor 210 a may be configured to only have access to the second network controller 214 b by providing the embedded controller processor 210 a a second MAC address that is assigned to the second network controller 214 b. However, as discussed above, the first network controller 214 a and the second network controller 214 b may be provided on different network interface controllers such that the busses 216 a and 216 b are physically separate buses while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

Each of the first network controller 214 a and the second network controller 214 b are coupled to a network 218 such as, for example, a local area network (LAN), the Internet, and/or a variety of other networks known in the art. An authentication IHS 220 is also coupled to the network 218. In an embodiment, the authentication IHS 220 may be the IHS 100 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS 100. For example, the authentication IHS 220 may be a server IHS or authentication server that may operate to verify user authentication credential inputs and/or manage authentication tokens for the off-host authentication system 200, discussed in further detail below. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that functionality of the authentication IHS 220 in the off-host authentication system 200 may be provided by a variety of systems known in the art while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the authentication IHS 220 is associated with at least one authentication IHS private key and at least one authentication IHS public key, discussed in further detail below. The at least one authentication IHS private key and the at least one authentication IHS public key may be stored in storage device that is accessible by the authentication IHS 220. Furthermore, as discussed below, the at least one authentication IHS public key may be shared with other systems such as, for example, the off-host processing system 206.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, an embodiment of a method 300 for providing off-host authentication is illustrated. In the embodiments discussed below, the user IHS 202 in the off-host authentication system 200 is a secure user IHS that only provides access to IHS functionality in response to a user being authenticated by the off-host authentication system 200. For example, a system administrator may have previously (e.g., prior to the method 300) identified one or more users as authenticated users that may access IHS functionality of the user IHS 202 that is provided by the host processing system 204, and registered those authenticated users with the authentication IHS 220 and/or the off-host processing system 206. The identification and registration of authenticated users may include associating authentication credentials of the authenticated users with access to the user IHS (or one of a plurality of different levels of access to the user IHS 202 that may vary in IHS functionality) in a storage device of the authentication IHS 220 and/or the off-host memory 206 b. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the off-host authentication system 200 will be beneficial for a variety of other authentication systems that are not explicitly illustrated and described herein and thus its application to those other authentication systems is envisioned as falling within the scope of the present disclosure. The method 300 is described below with reference to the schematic flow 400 of FIG. 4 that illustrates an embodiment of the flow of communications between the components of the off-host authentication system 200.

The method 300 begins at block 302 where the off-host processing system processes an authentication credential input. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a user 402 performs an authentication action 404 using the authentication device 209, and the authentication device 209 then sends an authentication credential input 406 to the off-host processing system 206. For example, the user 402 may perform the authentication action 404 by using a keyboard authentication device to provide a username and passcode; by using a biometric authentication device to provide a fingerprint scan, retinal scan, and/or other biometric authentication credential; by using a smart card reader device to provide authentication information stored on a smart card; by using a mobile user device to wirelessly transmit an authentication credential stored on the mobile user device to an RFID or NFC authentication device; etc., and the authentication device 209 will then convert that authentication action 404 into the authentication credential input 406 and send that authentication credential input 406 to the off-host processor 206 a in the off-host processing system 206. While a few examples have been provided, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the user 402 may provide, and the off-host processing system 206 may receive, the authentication credential input in a variety of manners that will fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments the off-host processing system 206 may operate at block 302 to process the authentication credential input by using the authentication credential input received from the authentication device 209 to validate the user 402 locally (i.e., within the user IHS 202). For example, the off-host processor 206 a may compare the received authentication credential input to valid authentication credentials (e.g., that were previously provided by a system administrator) that are stored in the off-host memory 206 b to determine whether the received authentication credential input matches any valid authentication credentials that are associated with authenticated users in the off-host authentication system 200. In specific embodiments, the off-host processor 206 a may process the received authentication credential input (e.g., provided via a fingerprint scan authentication action) to produce a candidate authentication credential (e.g., a candidate fingerprint), and compare that candidate authentication credential to authentication credential templates (e.g., fingerprint patterns) stored in the off-host memory 206 b to determine whether the candidate authentication credential matches any of the authentication credential templates. Processing of the candidate fingerprint may include determining a center point of the candidate fingerprint, centering on that center point, and aligning the candidate fingerprint with an orientation of fingerprint templates that are stored in the off-host memory 206 b such that the candidate fingerprint may be compared to the fingerprint templates that are stored in the off-host memory 206 b to determine whether a match exists, and/or a variety of other candidate authentication credential processing functions known in the art.

In other embodiments the off-host processing system 206 may operate at block 302 to process the authentication credential input for authentication by a non-local system (i.e., outside of the user IHS 202). For example, the off-host processor 206 a may perform the processing of the candidate authentication credential in substantially the same manner as discussed above, but with the provision that authentication credential templates are not stored in the off-host memory 206 b such that the off-host processor 206 a does not compare the processed candidate authentication credential to authentication credential templates. Such embodiments may provide for the storage of authentication credential templates outside of the user IHS 202 in order to, for example, provide an additional level of security to the off-host authentication system 200. While a few examples of the processing of an authentication credential input have been provided, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that a wide variety of authentication credential input processing functions will fall within the scope of the present disclosure. As discussed above, the host processor 204 a in the host processing system 204 may be segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the off-host processing system 206 and, as such, any control of the host processing system 204 (e.g., by an unauthorized user) will not result in access to the authentication credential input provided by the user 402 and processed by the off-host processing system 206.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 304 where the off-host processing system encrypts a primary authentication item and sends the encrypted primary authentication item to the embedded controller system. In an embodiment, following the processing of the authentication credential input at block 302, the off-host processor 206 a operates to encrypt a primary authentication item and send that encrypted primary authentication item 408 over the bus 212 to the embedded controller processor 210 a in the embedded controller system 210. In embodiments where the authentication credential input was processed to validate the user 402 locally (i.e., within the user IHS 202), discussed above, the off-host processor 206 a operates to retrieve an authentication token from the off-host memory 206 b, encrypt the authentication token to produce an encrypted authentication token, and send the encrypted authentication token over the bus 212 to the embedded controller system 210. For example, the off-host processor 206 a may retrieve a authentication token from the off-host memory 206 b that is also stored in the authentication IHS 220, encrypt that authentication token with a user IHS private key and an authentication IHS public key to produce the encrypted authentication token, and send the encrypted authentication token over the bus 212 to the embedded controller processor 210 a. In such embodiments, the authentication token is the primary authentication item (i.e., a primary authentication token) that is encrypted to produce an encrypted primary authentication item/encrypted primary authentication token.

In embodiments where the authentication credential input is processed for authentication by a non-local system to produce the processed authentication credential, discussed above, the off-host processor 206 a operates to encrypt the processed authentication credential to produce an encrypted processed authentication credential, and send the encrypted processed authentication credential over the bus 212 to the embedded controller system 210. For example, the off-host processor 206 a may encrypt the processed authentication credential with a user IHS private key and an authentication IHS public key to produce the encrypted processed authentication credential, and send the encrypted processed authentication credential over the bus 212 to the embedded controller processor 210 a. In such embodiments, the processed authentication credential is the primary authentication item that is encrypted to produce an encrypted processed authentication credential/encrypted primary authentication item. As discussed above, the host processor 204 a in the host processing system 204 may be segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the off-host processing system 206 and, as such, any control of the host processing system 204 (e.g., by an unauthorized user) will not result in access to the authentication item/token or public/private keys used by the off-host processing system 206 in the encryption operations discussed above.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 306 where the embedded controller system sends the encrypted primary authentication item to the second network controller. In an embodiment, the embedded controller processor 210 a operates at block 306 to send the encrypted primary authentication item 410 that was received from the off-host processor 206 a over the bus 216 b to the second network controller 214 b in the network interface controller 214. For example, the embedded controller processor 210 a may use the second MAC address assigned to the second network controller 214 b to send the encrypted primary authentication item to the second network controller 214 b. As discussed above, the first network controller 214 a in the network interface controller 214 may be segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the second network controller 214 b by assigning the first network controller 214 a a first MAC address that is different from a second MAC address that is assigned to the second network controller 214 b and, as such, any control of the host processing system 204 (e.g., by an unauthorized user) will not result in access to the encrypted primary authentication item (i.e., because the host processing system 204 does not have access to the second network controller 214 b).

The method 300 then proceeds to block 308 where the second network controller sends the encrypted primary authentication item to the authentication IHS. In an embodiment, the second network controller 214 b operates at block 308 to send the encrypted primary authentication item 414 received from the embedded controller processor 210 a over the network 218 to the authentication IHS 220. In an embodiment, the second network controller 214 b may have access to the authentication IHS 220 over the network 218 that is not provided to the first network controller 214 a, and at block 308 may use that access to send the encrypted primary authentication item to the authentication IHS 220. In such embodiments, the restriction of access to the authentication IHS 220 to the second network controller 214 b prevents any control of the host processing system 204 (e.g., by an unauthorized user) from resulting in access to the authentication IHS 220 (i.e., because the host processing system 204 only has access to the first network controller 214 a).

The method 300 then proceeds to block 310 where the authentication IHS decrypts the encrypted primary authentication item and retrieves a secondary authentication token. In an embodiment of block 310, the authentication IHS 220 operates to decrypt the encrypted primary authentication item received from the second network controller 214 b and, if the primary authentication item matches an authentication item stored in the authentication IHS 220, retrieve a secondary authentication token. In embodiments where the authentication credential input was processed by the off-host processing system 206 to validate the user 402 locally (i.e., within the user IHS 202), discussed above, the authentication IHS 220 operates to decrypt the encrypted primary authentication token to produce a decrypted primary authentication token and determine whether the decrypted primary authentication token matches an authentication token that is stored in the authentication IHS 220. For example, the authentication IHS 220 may receive the encrypted primary authentication token, decrypt the encrypted primary authentication token using a authentication IHS private key and a user IHS public key to produce the decrypted primary authentication token, and check a database in the authentication IHS 220 to determine whether that decrypted primary authentication token matches an authentication token in that database. If the decrypted primary authentication token does not match an authentication token that is stored in the authentication IHS 220, the authentication IHS 220 sends a message to the user IHS 220 (e.g., the off-host processing system 206, the host processing system 204, etc.) that the user 402 is not authorized to access the user IHS 202. If the decrypted primary authentication token matches an authentication token that is stored in the authentication IHS 220, the authentication IHS 220 retrieves n authentication token (referred to henceforth as a secondary authentication token to distinguish from the primary authentication token discussed above) that is stored both in the authentication IHS 220 and in off-host memory 206 b.

In embodiments where the authentication credential input was processed by the off-host processing system 206 to produce the processed authentication credential, discussed above, the authentication IHS 220 operates to decrypt the encrypted processed authentication credential to produce a decrypted processed authentication credential, compare the decrypted processed authentication credential to valid authentication credentials (e.g., that were previously provided by a system administrator) that are stored in the authentication IHS 220 to determine whether the decrypted processed authentication credential matches any valid authentication credentials that are associated with authenticated users in the authentication IHS 220 and, if so, validate the user. For example, the authentication IHS 220 may receive the encrypted processed authentication credential, decrypt the encrypted processed authentication credential using a authentication IHS private key and a user IHS public key to produce the decrypted processed authentication credential, and check a database in the authentication IHS 220 to determine whether that decrypted processed authentication credential matches a valid authentication credential in that database. If the decrypted processed authentication credential does not match a valid authentication credential that is stored in the authentication IHS 220, the authentication IHS 220 sends a message to the user IHS 220 (e.g., the off-host processing system 206, the host processing system 204, etc.) that the user 402 is not authorized to access the user IHS 202. If the decrypted processed authentication credential matches a valid authentication credential that is stored in the authentication IHS 220, the authentication IHS 220 retrieves an authentication token (referred to henceforth as a secondary authentication token to distinguish from the primary authentication item discussed above) that is stored both in the authentication IHS 220 and in off-host memory 206 b.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 312 where the authentication IHS encrypts the secondary authentication token to produce an encrypted secondary authentication token and sends the encrypted secondary authentication token to the second network controller. In an embodiment, following the retrieval of the secondary authentication token at block 310, the authentication IHS 220 operates to encrypt the secondary authentication token to produce an encrypted secondary authentication token and send that encrypted secondary authentication token 414 over the network 218 to the second network controller 214 b in the network interface controller 214. For example, the authentication IHS 220 may encrypt the secondary authentication token with an authentication IHS private key and user IHS public key to produce the encrypted secondary authentication token, and send the encrypted secondary authentication token over the network 218 to the second network controller 214 b. As discussed above, the first network controller 214 a in the network interface controller 214 may be segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the second network controller 214 b by assigning the first network controller 214 a a first MAC address that is different from a second MAC address that is assigned to the second network controller 214 b and, as such, any control of the host processing system 204 (e.g., by an unauthorized user) will not result in access to the encrypted secondary authentication token (i.e., because the host processing system 204 does not have access to the second network controller 214 b).

The method 300 then proceeds to block 314 where the second network controller sends the encrypted secondary authentication token to the embedded controller system. In an embodiment, the second network controller 214 b operates at block 314 to send the encrypted secondary authentication token 416 received from the authentication IHS 220 over the bus 216 b to the embedded controller processor 210 a in the embedded controller system 210. The method 300 then proceeds to block 316 where the embedded controller system sends the encrypted secondary authentication token to the off-host processing system. In an embodiment, the embedded controller processor 210 a operates at block 316 to send the encrypted secondary authentication token 418 received from the second network controller 214 b over the bus 212 to the off-host processor 206 a in the off-host processing system 206. As discussed above, the host processor 204 a in the host processing system 204 may be segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the off-host processing system 206 and, as such, any control of the host processing system 204 (e.g., by an unauthorized user) will not result in access to the encrypted secondary authentication token that was received by the off-host processing system 206.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 318 where the off-host processing system decrypts the encrypted secondary authorization token. In an embodiment of block 318, the off-host processing system 206 operates to decrypt the encrypted secondary authentication token received from the embedded controller processor 210 a. For example, the off-host processor 206 a may decrypt the encrypted secondary authentication token using a user IHS private key and an authentication IHS public key to produce a decrypted secondary authentication token, and check the off-host memory 206 b to determine whether that decrypted secondary authentication token matches an authentication token in the off-host memory 206 b. If the decrypted secondary authentication token does not match an authentication token that is stored in the off-host memory 206 b 220, the off-host processor 220 a sends a message to the host processing system 204 that the user 402 is not authorized to access the user IHS 202. As discussed above, the host processor 204 a in the host processing system 204 may be segregated, distinct from, and/or otherwise separate from the off-host processing system 206 and, as such, any control of the host processing system 204 (e.g., by an unauthorized user) will not result in access to the decrypted secondary authentication token that was decrypted by the off-host processing system 206.

If the decrypted secondary authentication token matches an authentication token that is stored in the off-host memory 206 b, the method 300 then proceeds to block 320 where the off-host processing system uses the decrypted secondary authentication token to retrieve a tertiary authentication token. In an embodiment, the off-host processor 206 a retrieves a tertiary authentication token from the off-host memory 206 b. In an embodiment, the tertiary authentication token is directly related to the decrypted authentication token via an association in the off-host memory 206 b or other database and/or via an encryption relationship. The method 300 then proceeds to block 322 where the off-host processing system provides the tertiary authentication token to the host processing system. In an embodiment, the off-host processor 206 a operates at block 322 to send the tertiary authentication token 420 over the bus 208 to the host processor 204 a in the host processing system 204. As such, in response to receiving authentication credential input from the user 402, the off-host processing system 206 operates to send an encrypted primary authentication item to the authentication IHS 220, receive encrypted secondary authentication token back from the authentication IHS 220, decrypt that encrypted secondary authentication token to produce a decrypted secondary authentication token, use the decrypted secondary authentication token to retrieve a tertiary authentication token in a manner that is independent of host processing system 204, and provide that tertiary authentication token to the host processing system 204. The method 300 then proceeds to block 324 where the host processing system logs the user into the user IHS. In an embodiment, the host processor 204 a may operate at block 318 to use the tertiary authentication token to allow the user 402 to log into the user IHS 100 (e.g., to access an operating system provided by the host processing system 204). For example, the host processing system 204 may provide the tertiary authentication token to a requesting authority for additional file or resource access.

Thus, systems and methods for out-of-band authentication have been described that provide for a user to authenticate to an off-host processing system in order to access the functionality of a user IHS that is provided by a host processing system. The authentication of a user to access the functionality of a user IHS is controlled by the off-host processing system and an authentication IHS that operate to verify the user and release a token to the host processing system that provides the user access to the functionality of the user IHS. In some embodiments, the verification of the user may be performed by the authentication IHS such that the user IHS never stores authentication credentials for a user, while authentication tokens are encrypted and exchanged between the off-host processing system and the authentication IHS to provide for the release of a token to the host processing system that allows the user access to the user IHS if they have been validated.

Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An off-host authentication system, comprising: an authentication system that is coupled to a network; a host processing system; an off-host processing system that is coupled to the host processing system and that is coupled to the authentication system through the network, wherein the off-host processing system is configured to: receive an authentication credential input; validate the authentication credential input and, in response, encrypt a primary authentication item to produce an encrypted primary authentication item; provide the encrypted primary authentication item to the authentication system through the network; receive an encrypted secondary authentication item from the authentication system through the network, wherein the encrypted secondary authentication item is sent by the authentication system through the network in response to decrypting the encrypted primary authentication item to retrieve the primary authentication item and matching the primary authentication item to a stored authentication item; decrypt the encrypted secondary authentication item to produce a decrypted secondary authentication item and use the decrypted secondary authentication item to retrieve a tertiary authentication item; and provide the tertiary authentication item to the host processing system, wherein at least one of the authentication system, the host processing system, and the off-host processing system utilizes a hardware processor.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the validating the authentication credential input includes: matching the authentication credential input to a validated authentication credential stored in an off-host memory system that is coupled to the off-host processing system.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary authentication item is a primary authentication token, the secondary authentication item is a secondary authentication token, and the tertiary authentication item is a tertiary authentication token.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary authentication item is encrypted by the off-host processing system with an authenticating system private key and an authentication system public key, and wherein the authentication system is configured to decrypt the encrypted primary authentication item with an authentication system private key and an authenticating system public key.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the encrypted secondary authentication item includes a secondary authentication item that is encrypted by the authentication system with an authentication system private key and an authenticating system public key, and wherein the off-host processing system is configured to decrypt the encrypted secondary authentication item with an authenticating system private key and an authentication system public key.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a network controller system that includes a first network controller that couples the host processing system to the network, and a second network controller that is inaccessible to the host processing system and that couples the off-host processing system to the network, wherein the second network controller is configured to forward the encrypted primary authentication item from the off-host processing system to the authentication system through the network, and wherein the second network controller is configured to forward the encrypted secondary authentication item from the authentication system to the off-host processing system.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising: an embedded controller system that couples the off-host processing system to the network, wherein the embedded controller system is configured to forward the encrypted primary authentication item from the off-host processing system to the network, and wherein the embedded controller system is configured to forward the encrypted secondary authentication item from the network to the off-host processing system.
 8. An information handling system (IHS), comprising: a host processing system; a network controller system; and an off-host processing system that is coupled to the host processing system and the network controller system, wherein the off-host processing system is configured to: receive an authentication credential input; validate the authentication credential input and, in response, encrypt a primary authentication item to produce an encrypted primary authentication item; provide the encrypted primary authentication item to an authentication system through the network controller system; receive an encrypted secondary authentication item from the authentication system through the network controller system, wherein the encrypted secondary authentication item is sent by the authentication system in response to decrypting the encrypted primary authentication item to retrieve the primary authentication item and matching the primary authentication item to a stored authentication item; decrypt the encrypted secondary authentication item to produce a decrypted secondary authentication item and use the decrypted secondary authentication item to retrieve a tertiary authentication item; and provide the tertiary authentication item to the host processing system, wherein at least one of the host processing system and the off-host processing system utilizes a hardware processor.
 9. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the validating the authentication credential input includes: matching the authentication credential input to a validated authentication credential stored in an off-host memory system that is coupled to the off-host processing system.
 10. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the primary authentication item is a primary authentication token, the secondary authentication item is a secondary authentication token, and the tertiary authentication item is a tertiary authentication token.
 11. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the primary authentication item is encrypted by the off-host processing system with an authenticating system private key and an authentication system public key, and wherein the authentication system is configured to decrypt the encrypted primary authentication item with an authentication system private key and an authenticating system public key.
 12. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the encrypted secondary authentication item includes a secondary authentication item that is encrypted by the authentication system with an authentication system private key and an authenticating system public key, and wherein the off-host processing system is configured to decrypt the encrypted secondary authentication item with an authenticating system private key and an authentication system public key.
 13. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the network controller system includes a first network controller that couples the host processing system to a network, and a second network controller that is inaccessible to the host processing system and that couples the off-host processing system to the network, and wherein the second network controller is configured to forward the encrypted primary authentication item from the off-host processing system to the authentication system, and wherein the second network controller is configured to forward the encrypted secondary authentication item from the authentication system to the off-host processing system.
 14. The IHS of claim 8, further comprising: an embedded controller system that couples the off-host processing system to the network controller system, wherein the embedded controller system is configured to forward the encrypted primary authentication item from the off-host processing system to the network controller system, and wherein the embedded controller system is configured to forward the encrypted secondary authentication item from the network controller system to the off-host processing system.
 15. A method for providing off-host authentication, comprising: receiving, by an off-host processing system, an authentication credential input; validating, by the off-host processing system, the authentication credential input and, in response, encrypting a primary authentication item to produce an encrypted primary authentication item; providing, by the off-host processing system through a network, the encrypted primary authentication item to an authentication system; receiving, by the off-host processing system through the network, an encrypted secondary authentication item from the authentication system, wherein the encrypted secondary authentication item is sent by the authentication system in response to decrypting the encrypted primary authentication item to retrieve the primary authentication item and matching the primary authentication item to a stored authentication item; decrypting, by the off-host processing system, the encrypted secondary authentication item to produce a decrypted secondary authentication item and using the decrypted secondary authentication item to retrieve a tertiary authentication item; and providing, by the off-host processing system, the tertiary authentication item to a host processing system, wherein at least one of the off-host processing system and the authentication system utilizes a hardware processor.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the primary authentication item is a primary authentication token, the secondary authentication item is a secondary authentication token, and the tertiary authentication item is a tertiary authentication token.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the primary authentication item is encrypted by the off-host processing system with an authenticating system private key and an authentication system public key, and wherein the authentication system decrypts the encrypted primary authentication item with an authentication system private key and an authenticating system public key.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the encrypted secondary authentication item includes a secondary authentication item that is encrypted by the authentication system with an authentication system private key and an authenticating system public key, and wherein the off-host processing system decrypts the encrypted secondary authentication item with an authenticating system private key and an authentication system public key.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising: forwarding, by a network controller that is inaccessible to the host processing system, the encrypted primary authentication item from the off-host processing system to the authentication system through the network; and forwarding, by the network controller, the encrypted secondary authentication item from the authentication system to the off-host processing system.
 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: forwarding, by an embedded controller system, the encrypted primary authentication item from the off-host processing system to the authentication system; and forwarding, by the embedded controller system, the encrypted secondary authentication item from the network to the off-host processing system. 